Sacred Shasta Snows

cloud veiled Shasta sunset ~d nelson

Resting fully now
still held in a vortex
of sacred energies
over 16 thousand feet high.
I’m too tired to think,
from where, or how;
it hasta be Shasta
who offers a vibrant
wintry playground
upon frozen
life-giving
precipitation.

Thank you arms
for teamwork help
with legs
poling me forward
& keeping me upright
when the ground
was literally close at hand.

snow camp homestead

Thank you mind
for the idea to pilgrimage here,
but not thinking much
when unnecessary;
allowing for physical,
spiritual connections
to be fully experienced.

backcountry breaking trail

Thank you heart
for carrying the weight
with strength
of a friendship
that makes exertion
seem joyful & lighter
than a snowflake
falling from heaven
to mother earth.

getting found in xc ski meditation

even in a blizzard there’s sunshine

climbing up cloud nine

Shasta’s clarity

calm before ice storm

Gratitude for these lungs
with each in-breath of chilled air
that all may enjoy a playful day,
and with each warm out-breath,
that all feel safe,
satisfied & connected
to what is real & sacred
in & surrounding them.

Such abundance of much needed snow, and how beautiful it is, coating the boughs of the trees heavily, covering the earth, deep and sacred, peaceful and yet potentially treacherous. Thank you for sharing your pilgrimage with us, and your athletic strength to move and breathe within it so well.

How beautiful! As a fellow traveler who has long experience with winter snows and cross-country skiing, I deeply appreciate this post. We rarely have deep snow in the Colorado Springs area — much more in the mountains — so it is wonderful to be reminded of that kind of beauty. Glad you were able to enjoy it firsthand, friend! And you are bolder than I to make camp in the cold. 🙂

Oh my goodness this beautiful post brought back so many memories of similar winter snowy activities – nordic skiing through a blizzard in the Snowy Mountains in Australia, and on many other occasions in sunshine in northern Canada, snow camping, the strong rhythm of the body, the push of the poles, the shish of the skis. Thank you. The body remembers and rejoices.
Alison

I’m happy you like the adventure, Faraday’s Candle!
I’ve enjoyed & endured snow camping. This time my companion couldn’t get enough blankets in the car for camping so we enjoyed day trips & roughed it staying in a motel at night. I was impressed with those camping in the blizzard 🙂

Thank you for sharing this beautiful adventure. I would like to follow your example and find a winter hike of my own, with the specific thanksgivings you expressed – in fact, I can give those thanks right now!

The Divine is so Present here. I feel as if I should take my shoes off and kneel. Beautiful photographs, David. I understand about breath and exertion. And flying and being as light as a snowflake. You have transported me to the feeling I get while walking in my park. I so look forward to snow like this!! Beautiful Blessed post. Thank you! ❤

Awesome sensations of expansion and joy from your words and images here, David. Nothing like going out into the elements and getting to the purity of things. Nature is always so true to itself… The stories from these holy images are being passed from cell to cell inside of me now, creating quite a lovely commotion.

These photos are profoundly beautiful; they are meditative gems. And your reflections are deeply evocative. As a novice cross country skier here in Maryland, I took great encouragement from your work. Many thanks.